october catch-all [ota]

[laruetheday]

Who: Clarisse + anyone!
What: October catch-all
When: Throughout the month
Where: Two prompts that are out in town + one for just the house

Content Warnings: Just The Depression™



01 | loneliness kills [ota]

[ At first, Clarisse thinks she's hallucinating. It seems like the natural progression to whatever's been happening to her head since she came to Trench. First the unbearable tense energy, and then the onset of migraines and the whispy white figures she can sometimes catch in the corner of her vision, and now... walking corpses. Sure, makes sense. Except the corpse doesn't go away. It walks steadily behind whoever's approaching her, glassy eyed and silent.

The corpse doesn't seem violent, which is the only thing that keeps her from attacking it, but her entire body tenses up like a cat waiting to pounce, and she's staring at whoever is making their way toward her. Or, more accurately, she's staring at the dead thing behind whoever is making their way toward her. ]

You... there's... [ Finally, lacking the right words to explain what she's seeing, she resorts to pointing a finger. ] Dead person.

02 | welcome to the black parade [ota]

[ Even misanthropic migraine sufferers need to leave the house every once in a while.

Clarisse is standing near the shop window of Shape of Blood, where she's been ogling a set of knives, and trying to avoid taking a strange mask in the shape of a monster's face from a native. They've clearly just explained something to her, because she's shaking her head. ]

I don't need protection. Ugh—seriously, I don't—back off!

[ Looks like someone isn't planning on showing up for the parade this month. ]

03 [closed to housemates]

[ Clarisse is lying on the couch, curled up and facing inward, her back to the room. At first she might seem to be asleep, but if someone enters the room, she twists the slightest bit so she can see who's there, before turning back to press her pale face against the cushion.

Her head hurts, all the time. Last month, Luna's potions had eased some of her restless energy, and talking with Bella had helped her feel less crazy, but it's abundantly clear that things have gotten much worse with the onset of October. The pounding behind her eyes, the crushing loneliness of everyone around her. She's suffocating under the weight of it. All she wants to do is sleep and forget about this place, but even when she sleeps, she has a headache. Even in other people's dreams, she's sad.

After a few seconds, when she doesn't hear the person exit the room, Clarisse's shoulders tense. She doesn't lift her face from the cushion, and her voice is muffled when she says, sounding almost defensive, ] What?

04 | wildcard!

[ Wildcard option! Feel free to have your character show up at the house looking for Clarisse (or anyone she lives with, if you'd like her to just be the one to answer the door or something). She'll be pretty much AWOL aside from some very rare appearances this month, but this is one way to catch her. ]

Comments

02 we gotta get Clarisse to the parade like MCR wanted

[possessum]

( Peter's never been to Prufrock before, but he's taking the whole "cover yourself up" thing very seriously. He can't be literally invisible all the time — and it only ever lasts a couple of hours at the most, anyway. Rumours of where to get gloves aren't hard to come by, and he figures he'll pick up a pair for Luna, too.

When he's done there, he's heading back when he hears.... a familiar voice. Peter freezes, then immediately moves that way, following his friend's voice to the front of the shop window she's at. )

Clarisse? Hey!

( Things have been... weird. Between Luna being ill, his weird demon shit happening, and sometimes coughing up bugs now, it's just.. weird. He hasn't heard from Clarisse in a while, and it's been one of the many worries growing inside him. Seeing her is immediately a relief, though he's just as immediately worried by what she's saying.

.....And clearly has been taking the warnings very literally himself, considering he's stood there in some werewolfy face paint, which is kind of cute but also looks kind of dumb on him. He feels dumb, but it's important to be safe. )

It's uh— it's okay, it's totally safe. The masks and stuff, I mean.

[laruetheday]

[ Clarisse takes one look at Peter and groans. It's at least a little bit because of the werewolf makeup he has on, but it's also a lot because of her migraine. She lifts a hand and presses two fingertips against her temple, rubbing the skin. It doesn't help. ]

I don't care if it's safe. I'm not going to any stupid parade. [ Without warning she grabs for the monster mask, rips it out of the native's outstretched hands, and chucks it aggressively down the street. It clatters into the gutter, and the Trenchie runs after it, muttering in dismay. ]

Go find someone else to bother, [ Clarisse growls after him, before turning her attention back to Peter. She's... looked better. Demigods don't get sick much, and the last time she looked like this she had the death flu, so her waxen face and the dark circles under her eyes might be slightly concerning. ]

I don't get it. Why are you doing this? It doesn't seem like your thing.

[possessum]

( That gesture (like her head hurts) raises a certain alarm bell in Peter, and he's about to ask her about it when he witnesses his friend commit a sudden act of aggression. Peter stares widely as the poor guy runs off after his mask, blinking mutely for a moment, then turns back to Clarisse.

Fuck, she does look pretty bad, clearly sick. It scares him a little, because he isn't used to seeing her look like that, and Peter's staring for a long moment before he answers. )

They said it'd keep us safe. From... whatever the fuck's coming. ( He doesn't actually know what terrors October might hold here, but he's scared to take any chances. )

Are you... okay? You don't look good, dude.

[laruetheday]

You think some mask will keep you safe from whatever horrible shit's slated to happen at the end of the month? Assuming that even happens, [ Clarisse mutters, slouching back against the brick of the shop. The way Peter stares at her makes her feel pissed off and ashamed at the same time. She sees how she's acting, the way she sounds. She just can't stop herself. ]

I don't feel great, [ she admits after a moment, and shuts her eyes for a few moments. ] I've been getting... these headaches. [ Only headache is too kind a word. This is nauseating pain that boils up behind her eyes, makes her head feel like a blocked pressure valve pushed past the brink of functioning. ] I shouldn't have come out here. But I... didn't want to be at my house, either.

[possessum]

Honestly... I don't even know, ( he admits with a sigh, kicking the toe of his sneaker against some loose stone. ) But the people around here probably do. Like how they knew about that ritual thing. With the flowers? I just don't want to take any chances with October bullshit on top of... whatever bullshit's going on with all of us.

( It's not that he trusts these weird Gothic Victorian locals with their fancy clothes, but... he doesn't know where else to turn for direction.

The fact Clarisse admits to not feeling good is... probably not a good sign. Peter's Worried Expression simply deepens, and he's moving a little closer, looking at her. ) Fuck, it sounds like you're like Luna. She hasn't even been able to leave the house much with her head hurting so bad.

( He's... scared about it. Really scared. Are they going to be okay? With his weird demon shit happening lately, who knows what's in store for them? )

You don't wanna go back to your place? What, did Bella not make gallons of soup for you this time? ( He tries to smile, but it's weak and falters almost immediately. He's worried, and she shouldn't be wandering around alone when she's sick. )

[laruetheday]

[ Clarisse has to admit that Peter has a point about the locals knowing things they don't about Trench. She doesn't want to say so out loud, so she keeps her mouth shut, but it's pretty clear by her sour expression what she's thinking. But she's already (loudly) committed to not wearing a mask, so it's not like she can change her mind now. And anyway, she doubts she's going to be outside on whatever day this stupid parade happens, so it probably doesn't matter anyway. ]

Luna's been having headaches? [ Huh. Do they have the same blood type? She wonders if Luna has also been barraged by other people's feelings and dreams, if it's also making her miserable like it is Clarisse. ] They're pretty bad, [ she admits. ] I puke sometimes. [ Nice. Thanks, Clarisse. ] Haven't been leaving the house much either.

[ Peter's joke about Bella would normally get her to at least attempt a smile—she can't help it, usually, talking about Bella just makes her happy even when she feels like shit—but today she just looks down at her boots. ] Bella and I aren't... we're not... [ She chews at her bottom lip, trying to distract from the pain in her head. ] I'm not getting along with anybody in the house right now. That's why I came out here.

[possessum]

Yeah, at first I thought it was some October bullshit, but I think... it actually has to do with her blood? ( Which, the two might not be mutually exclusive; he's not sure at this point. It's extremely concerning regardless and he draws a little hiss sound through his teeth, wincing. ) God, Clarisse.... No wonder you haven't wanted to leave.

( He feels like there's something more he should be doing to help his friends — it's a frustrating, helpless feeling. All he can do for Luna is make her food and keep her hydrated and turn all the lights in the house down low. It probably doesn't help much, not ultimately. It feels like something that just has to ride out, and it's so hard to watch her in so much pain. The fact Clarisse is dealing with it too, to the point of fucking puking?? Makes his stomach hurt.

Then she's telling him that things aren't exactly great in the household, and Peter's Extremely Generous Eyebrows furrow even more, frowning deeply. On top of feeling like shit, to be dealing with discord in the house.. that's a lot. )

Oh....... Fuck. I'm sorry, dude. ( He says quietly, and reaches out, a hand finding her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. Peter isn't normally one to touch people so openly, but it's Clarisse; he doesn't have to think twice about it. Not with her. )

Do you wanna talk about it?

[laruetheday]

It's not happening to everybody. [ That much has been clear to her over the course of this month. Nobody else in the house is getting headaches. She hasn't been spending time with Abby, and she never spends time with Lev anyway, but from what little she has seen of them they've looked healthy. And Bella would have said something if she'd been getting migraines. Clarisse knows that much. ] So it must be a blood thing.

[ Peter squeezes her shoulder, and Clarisse looks over with tired eyes. For a second she's tempted to lean against him, press her face against his shoulder, but she resists the urge. She doesn't want to make things weirder than they are already. ]

There's nothing to talk about. I'm acting like a miserable asshole, and Bella's sick of it. Me and Abby aren't talking. I feel... [ She struggles to land on the right word. ] Bad all the time. [ She gestures vaguely to her chest, implying it's more than just physical. ]